A Darker Take
by seriouslysiriuslysnuffles
Summary: Harry Potter thought he had created the perfect life for himself; he thoroughly destroyed the Dark Lord at age seventeen, married the red-head of his dreams, and, after having three angelic children, became the poster family for blissful suburbia. Everything was coming up roses for the Potter-Weasley family. Until it wasn't. After discovering Ginny in bed with another, Harry decide
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: What the Hell Ginny?

Harry stood leaning against his desk, absently twirling his wand and sending his scattered possessions flying into his bag. It was nearing 5' o clock, and the monotony of the day left him yearning for home.

"Hey mate!" Ron called, as he breezed into their shared office.

"Hey.." Harry replied, eyes following the progress of his papers more than that of his friend.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah!" at this, Harry brightened, "The kids get back tomorrow so I figured I'd get home early and help Ginny with the tree."

"Ahh.. You sure that's good idea? You know how Ginny feels about surprises," Ron chuckled nervously.

"It'll be fine, I do live there you know, me being home hardly counts as a surprise," Pausing, Harry gave Ron an assessing look, "Are you feeling alright? You look a bit peakish."

"Probably just left over from that curse Dolohov threw earlier, nasty bugger, that one," at this, Ron straightened up and threw what he hoped was an encouraging smile in Harry's direction.

"Alright then, mate. Take care of yourself, and give my love to 'Mione!" He then turned, and headed towards the atrium, eager to floo home.

Once he was gone, Ron murmured to himself, "Surely she isn't that dim, she must have sent him home by now, right?"

—

Harry exited the floo into the downstairs lounge of his house, barely avoiding stumbling onto the plush rug draped near the hearth.

"Ginny? I'm home!"

Hearing no response, and deciding she was likely just napping upstairs, as she tended to do in the late afternoons, he headed up towards the master bedroom.

Harry opened the door to the bedroom, expecting to see his wife napping peacefully under their thick duvet, however what he actually saw was very different.

Ginny wasn't napping at all, rather, she was gleefully riding Dean Thomas' thick cock, moaning each time he thrust into her.

After a brief moment of shock, Harry exclaimed the only thing which came to mind;

"What the fuck, Ginny?!"

At this, she gasped, rolling off of Dean and pulling the sheets up to cover the both of them.

"I-I can explain! Harry I swear it isn't what it looks like!" Ginny leaned towards where he stood, still clutching the sheets close to her, as Dean looked at Harry, shocked, and gaping like a fish.

"I don't really care for your explanations at the moment, Ginny…" Harry murmured, the items in the room began to shake and rattle as Harry's magic seeped from his body, his anger causing his normally strict control to waver.

"Look, mate-" Dean began, only to stop as the rattling became more violent.

"Harry! Please! You're scaring me!" Ginny pleaded, face paling as she realized the potential repercussions of her husbands anger.

"Ginerva Potter nee Weasley, I hereby declare our marriage null and void, and cast you from the House of Potter," Harry began, voice barely audible in the chaos of the room, "… So mote it be."

At this, all of the objects in the room stilled, halting quickly once Harry gained control of his rampant magic.

"H-Harry… Please…" Ginny sobbed, "W-what a-about the k-kids?"

"They deserve better than you," Harry whispered venomously, as he turned sharply towards the door, "So do I."

—

Harry apparated directly into the auror training room at the ministry, unwilling to spend anymore time than necessary in the house he had shared with that cheating bitch. He paced back and forth on the slightly padded ground, slowly unleashing his magic to do as it pleased.

He hardly noticed as the contents of the room began to swirl around him, carried by the furious strands of his magic.

"i can't believe she would do the to me… After all these years…" Harry murmured to himself, as his magic became increasingly rambunctious.

"How am I supposed to be a single father? How am i supposed to explain this to them?" His voice was now taking on a more panicked quality, as the reality of the situation set in.

"Lily adores her! She will hate me, she'll think it's my fault…." At this, he dropped to his knees, fear overwhelming him as he realized just what the sudden annulment of his marriage would entail. He pressed his clenched fists against the floor, his knuckles whitening with the pressure. He knew his kids loved him, but how could he possibly explain why their mother and father were happily married one day, and divorced the next? How could he tell an eleven year old girl, who, quite frankly, idolized Ginny, about the sins of her mother?

Harry slowly sank deeper and deeper into his thoughts, not noticing as his magic gently cocooned him, before sinking into his skin, leaving him glowing a shimmering silver, before he vanished.

The Harry that defeated Voldemort and became the Light's savior, was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Not This Time, Dumbledore

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Harry awoke to hear a strange, echoing thump above his head. He brought his hands up to rub at his eyes, groaning at the soreness in his limbs. He slowly opened his eyes, confused at the darkness of the room he found himself in.

The last he remembered, he was in the auror training room, after Ginny, _fucking_ Ginny, cheated on him. But now? he had no clue.

"Harry! Get UP! It's Dudder's birthday and I won't have you ruining it!" An all too familiar voice screeched from the other side of the door.

Harry sat up slowly, if that's Aunt Petunia… then that thumping was Dudley's fat ass walking down the stairs.

No _fucking_ way.

No **_fucking_** way.

He slowly opened the door of his cupboard, hoping that the reality he saw around him would change at some point. But it didn't. In the light of the hallway, he looked down and saw his skinny frame draped in Dudley's cast offs. He really was back, and had no clue how he got there. _Shit._

What had happened? He had heard stories of time travel before, but nothing like this. Minutes, yes. Years? Not bloody likely. Deciding that if fate was going to screw with him this badly, he might as well have some fun, Harry made his way down the hallway.

He walked into the kitchen slowly, staring blankly at his fat walrus of an uncle.

"What are you looking at, boy? Get to work!" Vernon spat, barely looking up from his paper.

"No…" Harry whispered, damnit _,_ if he was going to have to go through the misery of his years at Hogwarts, he was going to do it his way. and that meant he wasn't going to deal with the bullshit his family put him through. He especially wasn't going to deal with the bullshit Dumbledore put him through.

This time, he knew about the titles he inherited, and the power that came with it.

This time, he was going to do things the way he wished he had the first time.

"What did you just say to me?" Vernon ground out, the vein in his forehead beginning to pulse.

"I said, 'No,'" Harry replied, making eye conduct with the walrus for the first time. His magic once again began to swirl around him, but this time, he meant for it to. Because, although he now found himself back in his eleven-year old body, he had retained the magical experience he gained during the war.

"Recently, dear Uncle, I decided that I had enough of your abuse. So, in short, fuck you, your horse-faced wife, and your fat ass of a son," Harry said in a matter-of-fact manner, enjoying the purpling of Vernon's face.

As his Uncle began spluttering, Harry turned and left the kitchen, roughly brushing past Dudley on the way.

On his way out, he heard Petunia calling for him, but he ignored her. Instead continuing to the road, intent on getting as far away as possible from the hell that was No. 4 Privet Drive.

Harry soon made it to the dilapidated playground at the center of his neighborhood, and, calling his magic to him, apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

As he arrived, he glanced around to ensure he remained unnoticed, satisfied that no one was giving him any excessive attention, he continued on, brushing his hair over to cover his scar.

Harry walked briskly towards Gringotts, thankful that not many people were out in the alley this early on a Tuesday. Walking up the steps to the goblin-run bank, he squared his shoulders, mentally preparing himself to face the creatures.

Entering the bank, he immediately walked up to the head goblin.

"May your gold multiply, and your enemies fall at your feet," He said, sharply nodding his head.

Giving him an assessing look, the goblin replied in kind, "To you as well… Mr. Potter. How may Gringotts be of assistance?"

"I would like to speak to my account manager, as soon as possible, please."

"Very well," Motioning to another goblin, he dismissed him, "Please follow Ironhook, he will show you the way."

Nodding his thanks, Harry followed the goblin to a rather plush office.

Entering the room, he immediately took note of the rather large and intimidating goblin guards that flanked the desk.

Bowing slightly, he said, "May your wealth be unequalled, and your enemies flee before you."

"Indeed, to you as well, Mr. Potter," The aged goblin began, "Griptooth, at your service."

Nodding his thanks, Harry began, "First of all, I am aware that, through no fault of your own, individuals, namely Albus Dumbledore, the vast majority of the Weasley family, and the Dursley family, have been pilfering money from my vaults for approximately the last decade," Here, he ignored the shocked looks he received, and continued on, "Secondly, I would like to invoke the writ of contumia puer, and claim the titles I am set to inherit. Finally, I would like to undergo the lineage ritual, in order to claim any and all inheritance."

"Now, Mr. Potter, you must understand that in order for the writ of contumia puer to be invoked, you must have some proof. After all, these are rather serious accusations, with rather serious repercussions," Griptooth replied.

"I can assure you that a simple scan of both my physical and magical well-being will support my claims."

"Very well then," At this the goblin motioned for Harry to follow one of the guards. Upon doing so, he found himself in a room quite similar to a muggle school's nurse's office.

The goblin healer, Steelfang, quickly ran a multitude of tests on him, becoming increasingly infuriated as they indicated a past of violent abuse. Once these findings were reported, he was taken back to Griptooth's office.

"It seems as though you do qualify for emancipation through the writ, Mr. Potter, or should i say, Lord Potter," Griptooth said, with a rather vicious smirk. He was glad that someone was finally telling Dumbledore how the cow ate the cabbage, especially as the one doing so was meant to be the 'Light's Savior.'

After a quick nod from Griptooth, another goblin brought in a clear crystal goblet, with ancient runic symbols engraved around the rim.

"Lord Potter, please use this dagger to cut your left hand, and fill the goblet to the bottom of the runic circle. Once your blood turns silver, place the quill into the goblet, before setting it on the parchment."

Nodding his understanding, Harry took the dagger and sliced open his palm, wincing slightly at the sting of the blade. As soon as the goblet was full, Harry allowed his magic to seep out and heal the wound. After about a minute, his blood turned silver, and he placed the quill into it, watching in fascination as it absorbed all of the fluid. He then placed it onto the parchment, where it quickly began to list all of the titles he was due to inherit.

 _Lordships:_

 _Potter (by blood)_

 _Black (Interim, by blood magic)_

 _Riddle (by conquest)_

 _Slytherin (by conquest and blood)_

 _Peverell (by blood)_

 _Gryfindor (by blood)_

 _Properties:_

 _Godric's Hollow Cottage_

 _Potter Manor, Cardiff, England_

 _Potter Estate, Manchester, England_

 _No. Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London, England_

 _Black Manor, Nottingham, England_

 _Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton, England_

 _Slytherin Castle, Durham, England_

 _Slytherin Manor, Bournemouth, England_

 _Peverell Estate, Edinburgh, England_

 _Gryfindor Castle, Durham, England_

 _Gryfindor Estate, Hull, England_

 _Hogwarts Castle, 50% share_

Harry looked up from the parchment to find Griptooth, gaping at him, shocked at the amount of power held by someone so young. He was further surprised by the expression on the young Lord's face, Harry didn't appear at all shocked, rather, he seemed more smug, as though he was told something he already knew.

Indeed, that was the case. Harry had undergone this same ritual many years before, in his original timeline, and the results had remained the same. The only surprise was that he was still the heir to both Riddle and Slytherin, as he assumed he hadn't truly conquered Voldemort until the second time he was vanquished. Not that it truly mattered, he wasn't planning on doing any sort of vanquishing this time around.

Clearing his throat, Griptooth began to speak, "Well, Lord Potter, if you would like, I can provide you with the Lord rings for each of your houses. They should resize to fit you, and a few, like Gryfindor and Slytherin, should combine into one."

"That would be excellent."

At that, the goblin summoned a small wooden box, and pulled six rings from it.

The first, the Potter ring, was made of what appeared to be gold, and bore two lions, encircled by bay leaves.

The Black ring was made of a dark colored metal that resembled pewter, that was engraved with an eagle clutching a cypress branch.

The Riddle ring was obviously muggle in nature, as it bore obvious signs of wear. It was made of silver, with the engraved stag barely visible.

The Slytherin ring was stunning, it's silver band was encrusted with minute emeralds, and the snake that coiled around it was in constant motion, as it climbed around the oak branch engraved next to it.

The Peverell ring was rather mundane in comparison, it was made from gold, and was engraved with two bears supporting what Harry now knew to be the symbol for the deathly hallows.

The Gryfindor ring was the only one that could compete with the lavish nature of the Slytherin ring. It was made of rather ornately carved gold, and the roaring lion held a large ruby in its mouth, small topaz jewels dotted its mane, making it appear as though it was glowing.

Harry leaned over the desk and grabbed the rings, before putting them on. He put the Potter and Black rings on his right ring finger, smiling as they combined into one before resizing to fit him. The pewter and gold swirled together, the image shifting to depict a lion and eagle, each holding a sprig of cypress, and a sprig of bay leaves.

He then put the Slytherin ring on his right middle finger, and the Gryfindor ring on his left middle finger. The Peverell ring joined the Gryfindor ring on his left hand, on his ring finger. Finally, he put the Riddle ring on his right pointer finger.

In the past, he had hidden his rings, enabling the innate invisibility charm, but now, he was ready to let the world see just how much power he truly held.

He left the goblins after collecting a small satchel of gold, and headed into the main section of the alley.

Harry headed towards Knockturn Alley, standing straight and ignoring the looks thrown his way.

Once he entered the alley, he headed towards a shop he had shut down when he was an auror. It bordered the line between light and dark magic, and for that reason, the ministry had banned it. In the past, Harry would've frowned upon any magic that even hinted at being gray, but now, he was grateful he remembered where it was.

The shop was called "Mystical Mutations" and it specialized in potions that allowed the user to change their appearance.

He walked in, once again ignoring the looks he got, and walked directly to the man behind the register.

"I need a potion that can reverse years of malnourishment and abuse. Can you help me?" Harry said quickly, not at all in the mood for vague statements and pleasantries.

Giving him a brisk nod, the man led him to a nearby shelf, and gestured at a row near the bottom. Nodding his thanks, Harry knelt down and searched for the correct potion.

By the time he returned to the register, he carried with him 16 galleons worth of potions, including ones to correct the abuse of the Dursley's, fix his eyesight, and fade his scar until it was barely noticeable.

After paying, he took his time walking back towards the Leaky Cauldron, taking the time to think about the changes he had experienced all in one day.

He certainly didn't regret the chance to do it all again, many times had he wished he would've told Dumbledore exactly where he, and his bloody order of the phoenix, could sick it. And, if he was really being honest with himself, he had always felt a draw towards the darker side of magic. When he first attempted to use the cruciatus curse on Bellatrix back in fifth year, he had felt an almost undeniable pull on his core. It seemed as though now he would get the chance to explore the pull.

Of course, he would miss his kids. He could already feel the ache of sorrow at the thought of them. But, then again, by transporting himself into the past, he avoided both the headache and heartache of dealing with Ginny. And perhaps, someday, he would see his children again, in whatever realm existed beyond this one.

He was further excited at the possibility of romantic interests beyond the red-head, after all, she was the only true lover he had ever had, and it was hard to deny the attraction he had felt towards certain members of his own gender.

Indeed, it seemed as though this whole back in time thing may have its benefits.

Arriving at the inn, Harry booked a room to stay until school started. And, as he lay in bed, Harry became increasingly excited to board the Hogwart's express once again.


End file.
